4th Fest Weekend is Almost Here!

By admin on June 28, 2016

For 75 years, folks have been gathering in Happy Valley to wish our country a happy birthday. Last year, the Travel Channel declared 4th Fest 'one of the best fireworks displays in the country.' They don't know the half of it. This all volunteer-run fete takes more than $200,000 to run, and is powered entirely by individual and corporate donations. It's one more thing that makes Happy Valley really, truly, happy.

Here's what you need to know!

Events
4th Fest is a two-day-long birthday party with lots of great entertainment and activities planned for Sunday July 3rd, and Monday July 4th! Start off your Independence celebration enjoying music, food, and the carnival midway on Sunday evening. Monday, July 4th, lace up your kicks and join us in the Firecracker 4K & 4Mile at 9:00 AM. Starting at 2:00 PM, grab your spot for the Parade of Heroes, then enjoy music in four venues, various activities in the Towne Square, the carnival midway, fair food, and activities and entertainment for children and teens. After the 4thFest Fireworks, stick around for the Street Dance! Download your entertainment schedule and parking map here!

Sunday, July 3
Start off your Independence celebration enjoying music, food, and the carnival midway on Sunday evening. For a complete listing of performers, click here.

Monday, July 4

Firecracker 4 Mile Race and 4k Race
The annual Firecracker 4K provides the perfect start to our day long Central PA 4thFest celebration. New for 2016 is the Firecracker 4 Mile race! The races will be held at 9 a.m. on Monday, July 4th, 2016 on the Penn State campus. Runners and walkers of all skill levels and ages are encouraged to participate. As in the past, a digital timing system will be used to determine winners in various age categories. Prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers, for both distances, in each of the following age groups: 10 & under, 11-14, 15-18, 19-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, and 60+. Register now.

Heroes Parade
The 5th annual Parade of Heroes adds to the already well-established day of family-friendly-fun festivities celebrating our nation’s birth. The Parade of Heroes is Monday, July 4th, 2016 – beginning in front of the State College Municipal Building at 2:00pm. The parade route will travel through downtown State College, across the PSU campus and end at the Bryce Jordan Center.

Celebrations
Park your car and celebrate the afternoon and evening away with live music and performances in four venues. Take in the sights, sounds, and flavors of the carnival midway and tasty fair food. Don’t miss the Towne Square, and activities and entertainment for children and teens.

Pyrotechnics Demonstration4th Fest Volunteers will provide a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into making this great show happen. You’ll be amazed!This year’s demonstration will also describe what goes into the choreography for the fireworks, and will give you a preview of the evening’s show. Demonstrations at 4:00 PM, 5:30 PM, 7:00 PM. Sponsored by: McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC

Adam Swartz Puppets & Historical Characters. Interact with our founding fathers and mothers in the shade of the Character Tent. Take your picture with folks like Paul Revere, Ben Franklin, Betsy Ross, Thomas Paine, or Molly Pitcher. This year’s historical characters will be portrayed by talented local actors, as well as talented local puppets!

4:00 – 8:30 PM

Beaver Stadium

Penn State All Sports MuseumThe museum will be open from 10am-9pm. We will have activities with prizes outside the museum from 4-8:30, which include basketball, bounce baseball, hockey shots and a scavenger hunt inside the museum. Our restrooms will be open and the museum is air conditioned.

GIANT Foods Giant Flag Birthday Cake A 14 foot long flag cake that is served by the employees of RESTEK. The line forms in Stadium West amongst the celebration activities around 5:30 pm. At 5:58, we will sing Happy Birthday to our nation and the cake will be cut and served.

Fireworks
The 4thFest has consistently been rated as a must-see, garnering mentions like among the top five Largest, Biggest, Best 4th of July Fireworks show in the United States. This year promises to be another stellar show. Choreographed to music which is played on 93.7 The Bus, this year’s medley includes many traditional patriotic songs, movie, TV, and show tunes, as well as popular selections. Songs will be played by big bands, jazz bands, rock bands, military bands, and don’t forget the choirs and orchestras. As always, after enjoying the many different moods and styles displayed in the core of the fireworks show, you can always count on the BIG ending with the 4thFest finale. And what a grand finale is planned. Up until the grand finale the show will be averaging about 4 shells per second. That is per second…not per minute. When we hit the finale, and you should know we are there, the firing rate will pop to over 27 shells per second. The planning for the 2016 fireworks began in the fall of 2015. First the music was selected by the choreography team then they designed the effects for this years 45 minute show. Included this year will be 149 different types of shells which will generate the traditional loud Ooohs…, Ahhh’s… and spontaneous applause. How many in total you ask… almost 10,830 before the show is over.

And it's all FREE! A $10 donation is requested for general parking. (Insider tip: Do it. Don't waste time looking for free parking – pay the $10 and go enjoy the party!)